[Dr. Ann Glang] There are a couple of things that families can doto really improve the chance of positive outcomes for their child in school. Number one is really kind straight forward and kind of duh,but the first one is really having a respect for the teacher and the constraints under which the teacher operates.When a teacher has 30 children in their class,and five of them don't speak English as a first language,and several have other disabilities,and some of parents that are quite demanding,and all of those constraints. Then there's this increased focus on accountability, and there's a lot of pressure.Teachers are under a lot of pressure.For a parent to just understand that—that they also have constraints and stress in their lives—that's number one, and then number two is very, very simpleand is true for any relationship, but it's just using good communication skills.It's not walking in the door and saying,"My kid has rights. You're going to do what is right for my child."That's not going to get you anywhere, and it's not sitting back and saying, "Oh, that's fine." Not being passive.It's saying, "I understand the classroom that you're teaching,I understand that my child presents some unique needs,and I want to know if we can work together to help him achieve what he can achieve.I want to work closely with you so that we can make that happen.What can I do at home to help support your efforts?Here are some things that have worked in previous years with other teachers,"or in other contexts to help with whatever the issues are—behavior or learning.Those kinds of things can really go a long waytowards improving the chance for success.

Dr. Ann Glang talks about how parents can approach and work with teachers to ensure success in school for their child with brain injury.

Ann Glang, PhD is a research professor and co-director of the Center on Brain Injury Research and Training (CBIRT), a center under the office of Research, Innovation and Graduate Education (RIGE) at the University of Oregon.

This program is made possible in part by a grant from the Bob Woodruff Foundation, which is dedicated to ensuring that impacted post-9/11 veterans, service members, and their families are thriving long after they return home.